NEIL LENNON has had enough of English snubs of Gary Hooper and insists the Celtic striker should no longer be ignored after his glory night in Moscow.

The Parkhead manager has come out fighting on behalf of his star attacker and keeper Fraser Forster and made it clear he’s sick of them being ignored due to their presence in Scottish football.

Hooper, in particular, was outstanding in the thrilling 3-2 Champions League success over Spartak in the Luzhniki Stadium.

The striker was, at the very highest level of the club game, quite simply unplayable in the Russian capital.

Hooper scored a brilliant opening goal, laid on an equaliser for James Forrest, had a header narrowly chalked off for offside and was also the man who broke away and forced Spartak defender Juan Insaurralde to haul him down and reduce the Russians to 10 men just after they had taken the lead in the see-saw classic.

On the biggest stage of all, it was a special display. Yet, as his team-mates evacuate Lennoxtown when international weeks come around to jet to various spots around the globe, Hooper is stuck at home unwanted and uncapped by England.

Just as his former team-mates Chris Sutton and Alan Thompson suffered during their playing days with constant snubs and rejections due to their employment in the SPL, Hooper is suffering now.

And Lennon is now tired of the ill-judged stigma.

While the Celtic manager would never dream of telling England manager Roy Hodgson his job, he finds it bizarre that his top attacker can’t get a look in for the Three Lions.

Fraser Forster has been watched by Ray Clemence

Lennon said: “I know Ray Clemence was at the Benfica game watching Fraser but I’m not aware of anyone watching Gary. Listen, I’m not going to talk him up any more. The kid’s answering all the questions himself and fair play to him.

“For me, Hooper was a stand-out in Moscow. I thought he was just immense from start to finish.

“He gave them no end of trouble, his touch was there, his awareness was top class. He scored a great first goal and set up the second. He also got in for the red card and was just a powerhouse for us.

“People ask me why I keep talking him up for England but he showed it all on Tuesday night. Sometimes I don’t think we help ourselves.

“I’ve heard people say Gary is maybe 15th in line for an England cap and stuff like that. That doesn’t help.

“If you keep telling a big enough lie people will start believing it. I’ve got a Greek player playing for his country and had South Koreans playing for theirs. I’ve got Nigerians, Scots, Irish, Welsh and Hondurans playing for their countries.

“Why is it a taboo when it comes to England?

“Chris and Alan suffered the same. It seems to be that unless you’re playing in England, at whatever level, you’re not going to get a call-up.

“Jack Butland had never played in the English Premier League but went to the Euros in the summer.

“I’m just saying to come and look at our players because they’re good enough.

“They are playing in the Champions League, which is the best. It’s probably better than international football. It’s the cream of the crop, players of all nationalities playing.

“Ryan Giggs never played in a World Cup and George Weah didn’t either but they did play in the Champions League where it’s the best of the best.”

While Hooper was immense, there were a number of his colleagues who also shone against the Russian moneybags.

Having carried the burden of past failures on their inexperienced Champions League shoulders, Lennon's young guns smashed the away-day group stage hoodoo in blistering fashion.

Lennon’s team were magnificent and have now completely turned around the club’s travelling fortunes. Having played well to grab draws against Rennes and Udinese in the Europa League last term, the current crop surpassed that with back-to-back away wins in this season’s Champions League qualifiers against Helsinki and Helsingborgs.

Neil Lennon celebrates a famous victory with his coaching staff.

But Moscow took it to a whole new level of excellence, as well as extending the unbeaten away record to five.

After years of suffering with the boots on, Lennon was smiling in the manager’s clobber. He said: “It’s a great feeling for me but the players did it.

“They showed great character and quality from about 55 minutes on and believed they could do it.

“Sometimes we go away from home, go a goal down and capitulate but I didn’t see any of that.

“They galvanised themselves again and I’ve got to say, some of the football was fantastic. Some of our passing was top quality while our finishing was exemplary.

“But we’re a young side and maybe they’ve got less fear than teams in the past. They’re fantastic athletes as well who got stronger as the game went on. Georgios Samaras, Kris Commons, Scott Brown, Emilio Izaguirre and Mikael Lustig.

“I could go through the whole team, they were superb.”

Lennon was thrilled to see his club put itself back on the European map but, as he suggested with his comments regards Hooper’s cap snubs, he is just as delighted to provided another tonic for Scottish football.

With successes on the European stage, home or away, becoming as rare as seeing an England scout north of Carlisle, the country’s rating and reputation has taken a kicking.

After sliding down UEFA’s co-efficient lists, our game does not have to look too far for those wishing to stick the boot in – and that’s not just outwith the Scottish border.

A rabid defender of the SPL and the talents within it, Lennon believes the game may be turning a corner.

He said: “What winning in Moscow gives us is respect.

“All credit to the players because they were magnificent and I was so proud of them. I have to go the other way sometimes and talk the game up and I want to progress this team as far as I can domestically and in Europe.

“The result in Moscow gives Celtic respect and that helps get Scottish football respect.”